Remembering Suwannee: Black history in Suwannee County, Part 1

Eric Musgrove Contributor This month is Black History Month. In honor of this time, today begins a two-month-long series on the impact of African Americans in Suwannee County’s history. African Americans have been a part of the history of the Suwannee Valley region since long before there was even a United States. In 1528, Panfilo de Narvaez and some 300 Spanish explorers landed in what is now Tampa Bay. It appears that, among other places, the expedition traveled through Suwannee County (or at least very close to it). In June of 1528, the Suwannee River was mentioned for the first time in historical records (under a different name) when one of the Spanish explorers, Juan Velázqu